2005 BMW 530 Preview

The New BMW 5 Series

The Ultimate Driving Machine handles even better, but what about its looks?

Interior

If you've seen the new Z4 interior, you've seen some of the major design cues of the new 5 series.

The key thing to note on the 5 series is that although this car gets iDrive -- the controversial Microsoft software system that allows the adjustment of hundreds of functions in the 7 series -- it has been greatly simplified, and several key functions are now broken out to "rudimentary" buttons and knobs. Another improvement: color-keyed itemization in iDrive so that each menu field is given a color that you quickly come to recognize intuitively.

We like the new setup much more because setting climate, radio volume or other basic items can be done by the tap of a button or turn of a switch. Should you choose to use the navigation system or want to check the tune-up interval of the car, then you need iDrive, but you might go days without touching it--and without being distracted by it. That's as it should be. Technology, especially in a performance sedan, shouldn't butt in on the driving experience.

The rest of the cockpit -- and we saw it in all its interior color configurations -- is richer and warmer-looking than in the past 5 series, with some very desirable elements borrowed from the 7 series. For instance, the excellent seats feature similar head-and-neck support, and both lumbar and seat sides can be made more supportive or softer as desired. The entire car is also wider, leading to a wider cockpit with more front- and rear-seat room.

This still isn't a huge cabin. BMW enthusiasts would argue that it need not be, that the car is built around performance and making it too large would ruin its tight-handling feel. Besides, why apologize? Compared with its key competitors, the new 5 series is slightly roomier than the Audi A6 and has more rear-seat legroom than a Mercedes-Benz E-Class -- and more shoulder room as well.

Need a really big sedan? Step up to a 7 series.